Don't Judge a Discord by His Cover
by Anthony W
Summary: Discord begins to hang out with the CMC.
1. Discord Visits Fluttershy

Fluttershy had been paid a visit from Discord. He was laying his mismatched body down on her couch, relaxing.

"How do you like it here in Ponyville, Discord?", Fluttershy asked.

"Pretty nice, actually," said Discord. "I am glad I have more friends than I did when I was a villain. And a master manipulator."

"Yes. I agree," said Fluttershy.

Discord explained, "Because the reason I was mean was I felt so left out and unwanted that I had no friends at all. And my parents were not the best of parents you would probably think."

"Oh, no. I never even thought about that. Why? What about your parents?", asked Fluttershy.

Discord frowns, remembering his rough past. He did not want to talk about it, but decided Fluttershy should know about it. Letting out a sigh, he explains, "Well, when I would go to school and would often be late, my mother would give me a spanking when I got home and sent me to my room for 4 hours straight."

Fluttershy gasped and said, "Oh, my."

Discord continued, "And if I would not eat my dinner, my father would hit me with his newspaper and threatened me to eat my food or he will make me wish I was never born."

"Oh, my gosh," said Fluttershy.

"As well, even my brother would throw things at me and call me a bunch of names, such as an idiot, a good-for-nothing, and 'Dipcord,'" he said.

"Ohh...", said Fluttershy.

"So my childhood was not too good. And people thought I was a villain, so that was how I acted," he said.

"Yes, honey," said Fluttershy.

Discord sadly sighs and says, "If only people understood what I was going through back then. All I ever wanted was friends and nothing else."

"I'm sorry, Discord. But the important thing is that at least you have friends now and that you're no longer mean," Fluttershy told him.

"Agreed," said Discord.

Fluttershy nods. Discord gets a glass of water and drinks it. "Ahh. Refreshing." Suddenly, Discord remembered something. "Hey, Fluttershy? You know how I have recently made new friends with mostly everypony in town?"

"Mm-hmm. What about it?", said Fluttershy.

"Well, have I ever met the Cutie Mark Crusaders? I have heard of them, but never met them," said Discord.

"Oh, no. You haven't. Well, would you like to?"

"'Like to?' I would love to!", Discord said cheerfully.

Satisfied with Discord's enthusiasm, Fluttershy giggles. "Okay then. Come on."

Fluttershy walks out of the house, with Discord following suit. "Ohh! I cannot wait to meet them! This is gonna be so grr-eat!", he said.

Fluttershy giggles. "And I think you're really gonna like them. They're pretty nice kids."

"I am sure of it!", said Discord.

"Well, let's go," said Fluttershy. Discord extends his hand towards the path.

"After you, m'lady!", Discord politely offered.

Fluttershy giggles and blushes. "Okay, Mr. Gentleman."

Discord chuckles. He and Fluttershy then walked off to find the Cutie Mark Crusaders.


	2. Hanging with the Crusaders

At the Cutie Mark Crusaders' clubhouse, the three fillies were hanging out together.

"So what do you guys wanna do today?", Scootaloo asked her friends.

"I dunno. How 'bout a jog?", suggested Apple Bloom.

"Okay! I love me a good jog!", said Scootaloo.

"Let's go then," said Sweetie Belle. The Cutie Mark Crusaders leave their clubhouse and start going on a jog. After a while, they begin panting heavily.

"How are you... doing... back there?", Scootaloo asked.

"Hot... and tired," panted Sweetie Belle.

"Me... too," panted Scootaloo.

Just then, Fluttershy and Discord had arrived. Upon noticing them, Sweetie Belle stopped in her tracks and said, "Hey, look! There's Fluttershy and Discord!"

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo stopped jogging and noticed Fluttershy and Discord as well.

"Hey, look! There's Fluttershy and Discord!", said Apple Bloom.

Sweetie Belle shoots a confused glance at Apple Bloom and says, "I just said that."

"Oh," said Apple Bloom.

Fluttershy and Discord approached the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Fluttershy spoke up and said, "Discord, please meet Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo: The Cutie Mark Crusaders."

"Hello, Cutie Mark Crusaders! How are you doing today?", said Discord politely.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders are a bit shy and nervous.

"Okay," said Sweetie Belle.

"Um... who are you again?", Scootaloo sheepishly asked.

"I am Discord, Fluttershy's friend. I frequently visit Ponyville," Discord proclaimed.

"Well, it's, uh, good to meet you," said Scootaloo slowly.

Discord extended his hand and asked, "Care to shake my hand?" Slowly, the Cutie Mark Crusaders shake Discord's hand. "There now. Not so hard, is it?", said Discord. "No," replied Scootaloo. "And children, you may look at me and think I am a mean, scary guy, but I am not. I am actually a very nice person," said Discord.

Fluttershy asked the Crusaders, "So what are you up to today?"

"Oh, nothing. We were just going for a jog," said Scootaloo. "We don't have anything to do except just hang around and just... whatever, you know?"

"I see," said Fluttershy.

"So you do not have anything to do at all?", Discord asked. The Cutie Mark Crusaders shook their heads.

Intrigued, Discord exclaimed, "I know! How about you hop on my back and I take you for a ride?"

This immediately made the Cutie Mark Crusaders brighten up. They gasped and said in unison, "Yes, yes, yes! Please!"

Discord chuckled, "I thought you would say that." He then whispered to Fluttershy, "Fluttershy, I just love these kids' enthusiasm!"

"Me, too," said Fluttershy.

Discord allows the Cutie Mark Crusaders to climb onto his back. "Well, hop on!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders climbed up onto Discord's back. "All right, now hang on tight. This may be a bit of a bumpy ride," he said.

Fluttershy calls out to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, "I wish you luck, girls!"

Discord started running and then spreads his wings and, with a flap of his wings, takes flight.

"Yeah!", the Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered.

"Whoo-hoo!", shouted Scootaloo.

"Are you enjoying your ride?", Discord asked.

"Oh, big time, buddy! Big time!", said Scootaloo. "Definitely!", said Sweetie Belle.

"Sweet heavens to Betsy! I can see my house from here!", exclaimed Apple Bloom. After a slight pause, she said, "No, really! There it is!", pointing to Sweet Apple Acres, seen from the sky's view.

"Good to know," said Discord, continuing to fly around. "Check this baby out!"

Discord flies high up in the air and at the very peak, a long ways above the clouds, he dips his head down, tucks his wings in, and starts to plummet towards Earth. At the last second, he shoots out his wings and sharply turns up and shot forward. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are ecstatic as they all shout, "WHOO-HOO!"

Discord smiled at the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He slows himself down a bit, then comes speeding back to Fluttershy.

"Did you see us, Fluttershy? Was that not pretty neat?", said Discord, grinning widely.

"It sure was. I saw everything," said Fluttershy.

As the Cutie Mark Crusaders climb off of Discord, Apple Bloom said, "That sure made our day, Discord! Thanks for the ride!"

"Oh, you are welcome," said Discord.

"Hey, can you hang out with us some more? Just throw out more activities we can do!", said Scootaloo.

"Very well. How about...", Discord thought for a moment. Then he said, "A race from the farm to back here?"

"All right!", said Scootaloo.

"And I'll be the coach," said Fluttershy.

"Suit yourself," said Discord.

The gang went to Sweet Apple Acres, preparing to race. Fluttershy stood on the side as the coach. She then said, "Ready..."

"Remember, no cheating," Discord told the Crusaders. "Right," said Scootaloo.

"Set...", said Fluttershy. She then blew the whistle. Immediately, the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Discord took off running.

"We're gonna beat you!", Apple Bloom shouted out to Discord. He replied, " Is that so? Well, maybe in your imagination, but not in reality!" He then disappeared in a bright light and reappeared at the clubhouse. Soon, the Cutie Mark Crusaders arrived and are shocked.

"Hey!", shouted Scootaloo.

"Discord! We thought you said no cheating!", said Sweetie Belle.

"Of course I did," said Discord.

"Then why did you do that?!", asked Apple Bloom angrily.

"Oh, I apologize," said Discord. "You said you were gonna beat me and I did not want that, so you left me no choice but to teleport myself back here."

"So you went back on your word?!", asked Scootaloo.

"I guess you could say that," said Discord.

"That's not right, y'know!", reprimanded Apple Bloom. "If you do that again, you can't play with us anymore!"

"All right, all right. I apologize," said Discord.

"It's fine," said Apple Bloom, starting to calm down.

Just then, Fluttershy arrived and said, "She's right, Discord. You shouldn't have done that. But we forgive you, as long as you don't do it again." Satisfied, Discord smiled and Fluttershy smiled back.

"So who is up for more activities?", asked Discord.

"We are! We are!", said the Crusaders.

"Who would like to play hide-and-seek?", announced Discord.

"Yeah!", cheered the Crusaders.

"Very well. I will count and you three shall hide," said Discord. He then turned around and covered his eyes as he began to count. Immediately, the Cutie Mark Crusaders ran off to hide.

"1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10!" Upon finished counting, Discord uncovered his eyes and said, "Ready or not, here I come!"

Discord began to search for the Cutie Mark Crusaders. He looked in a bush, but found nothing. "Hmm. Not here."

As he went to look in another one, Discord stuck his hand in, expecting to grab one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. However, he instead pulled out a squirrel, which bit his hand.

"Ouch!" As Discord shook his hand, the squirrel jumped off. Discord rubbed his hand and said to himself, "It was just a squirrel."

Soon, Discord heard small giggling coming from a tree.

"He'll never find us here!", whispered Sweetie Belle. "Shh! Stop talking!", whispered Scootaloo. "Sorry!", Sweetie Belle whispered back.

Discord sticks his hand in the tree and pulled out Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

"You found us!", they exclaimed.

"Darn it! We shouldn't have been talking or giggling!", said Scootaloo.

"Now I just have to find Apple Bloom," said Discord.

Discord went into the orchard to find Apple Bloom and looked everywhere, but could not find her. He teleported himself to the barn and looked in the hay. Suddenly, Apple Bloom jumped out of the hay.

"Aha!", shouted Apple Bloom. Startled, Discord jumped and exclaimed, "Whoa!"

"You found me!", said Apple Bloom.

"What the hey?!", said Discord.

Apple Bloom giggled and said, "Good one, Discord!"

Discord realized he made a joke unintentionally. "I just made a joke!" He then grinned, "Finally! A successful joke by me! Come on! Let us go back to the clubhouse!"

Discord took Apple Bloom by the hoof and teleported back to the clubhouse.

"So... what do you wanna play next?", asked Scootaloo.

"Well, how about we go boating?", suggested Discord.

"Sounds like a good idea! But, uh, we don't have any boats," said Apple Bloom.

"I can make one then!", said Discord. He then held his hands out and a wooden boat magically appeared in his hands.

"Wow!", exclaimed the Crusaders.

"That's amazing, Discord!", said Apple Bloom.

"Let us get a move-on!", announced Discord. He walked off as the Cutie Mark Crusaders followed him near the river. Discord threw the boat into the river and said, "This is gonna be fun! I can hardly wait!"

"Neither can we, Discord! I'm so glad we're friends!", said Apple Bloom.

"Ditto," agreed Discord. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Oh! I forgot something!" He then held his hands out and four newspaper hats and wooden paddles magically appeared in his hands. He gave the three hats and paddles to the Cutie Mark Crusaders while he still held the paddle and put on his hat.

"So, are you buccaneers ready?", asked Discord.

Excited, the Cutie Mark Crusaders replied, "Aye-aye, Captain Discord!"

Discord chuckled. Then he and the Crusaders set off down the river and began to paddle.

"You know, Discord, we were wrong to have misjudged you," said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah. Just 'cause you look scary or villainous doesn't mean you are," said Apple Bloom.

"Gee. Thank you," said Discord.

"No problem. Everypony makes mistakes and sometimes, they learn from it," said Scootaloo.

"Well, I am flattered," said Discord.

The gang continued to paddle. Then Sweetie Belle broke into song, singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat."

"Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream"

Apple Bloom then sang, "Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream"

Scootaloo sang, "Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders sang altogether, "Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream"

Scootaloo turned towards Discord and said, "Take it away, Discord!" "Gladly!", he accepted. He then sang, "Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream"

As they sing, Discord begins to jerk his head right and left while snapping his fingers. "Row, row, row your boat / Gently down the stream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream / Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily / Life is but a dream"

Discord sang, "Life is but a dream"

The gang sang one last time, "Life is but a dreeeeeeeam"

Magically, Discord put on a black fedora, with his fingers spread. "Hee-hee!", he said, making the Crusaders giggle. "Good one, Discord!", said Apple Bloom. "Oh, no need to tell me about it," Discord responded.


	3. Havoc Returns

The Cutie Mark Crusaders and Discord continued to paddle some more as time passes. Discord was genuinely enjoying himself as he had made new friends and was going on an adventure with them.

Scootaloo broke the silence and asked, "So Discord, why were you so mean to begin with anyway?"

This made Discord's smile disappear. "Oh, because I had a rough childhood," said Discord, a tone of sadness in his voice.

"Really?", asked Apple Bloom. "Really," said Discord.

"What was it like?", asked Scootaloo, becoming intrigued about Discord's past. Neither of the Crusaders had known of Discord's past and now, they really wanted to hear about it.

"It is too painful for me to talk about," he said, closing his eyes and looking away. He looked back to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders looking at him with hope in their eyes. Discord knew how much they wanted to know more about him, but at the same time, doing so would result in bringing up unpleasant memories. Finally, Discord gave in and decided to tell them his story. "Gather around," he told them. The Cutie Mark Crusaders gathered around Discord to listen.

"When I was an infant, I had everything I could have ever asked for," explained Discord.

_Flashback..._

Discord is an infant laying down in his crib. His parents are looking down at him and admiring him. "He sure is something, isn't he?", said his mother. "Very much," said his father. Discord's parents loved him more than anything else in the chaotic world. His mother took Discord out of his crib and put him back in, with a diaper on Discord. "Here you go, my little Discord," his mother cooed. She then gave Discord a bottle, which he began to drink.

"But my older brother Havoc was not satisfied about me being born," the older Discord narrated.

Discord's brother Havoc is a teenager. He is also a mismatched being like his brother, except he has a longer face, light blue eyes with dark blue pupils, two goat horns, the right paw of an orange tiger, the left paw of a grizzly bear, a purple pegasus wing, a light blue bat wing, the left leg of a Holstein cow, the right leg of a frog, the tail of a green lizard, and no fang. Feeling left out, Havoc remained on the sidelines, looking at his brother with envy. He felt that his parents had forgotten about him and favored his baby brother over him.

Discord continued to narrate, "Then I grew up and started going to school. But I was mostly late."

_Another flashback..._

Discord is a child, around 7 or 8 years, going to school and walking into class. "Discord! You are late again!", shouted his teacher. "Sorry. I just-", young Discord tried to explained, but his teacher interrupted, "No excuses! Get to your seat!" Sadly, young Discord got into his seat. All the students started to laugh at young Discord, chanting in a sing-song voice, "Freaky boy! Freaky boy's always late!"

Discord narrated, "When I would get home, I was in for a nasty surprise."

Young Discord walked into his home when he heard his mother call for him. "Discord!", his mother shouted, making young Discord jump. "I heard from your teacher you were late again?" Terrified, young Discord started to shake. "It's just like I told you: Next time you're late, you'd be punished! Now, you'll receive your punishment!", she yelled. "Nooooo!", shouted young Discord as his mother began spanking him, making him crying. "Mommy!", he sobbed. His mother stopped spanking him and said, "Go to your room for 4 hours!" Young Discord sighed and said, "Okay, Mom." He walked over to his room, but Havoc started throwing things at him. "Hey, Dipcord! Have some marshmallows!", he said, throwing marshmallows at him. "I don't feel like eating anything, Havoc," said young Discord as he walked into his room and closed the door behind him. He sat on the edge of his bed and started crying to himself.

"4 hours would pass," said Discord as he kept narrating.

Young Discord was still sitting on his bed when he heard a knock at the door.

"Discord! Time for dinner!", his mother called.

Young Discord sat at the dinner table with his parents and Havoc. They were having chicken and drumsticks, with the chicken being in the middle of table for them to rip pieces off to eat. Discord's father had three drumsticks and Discord's mother had two.

"Here. All five drumsticks," said Discord's father.

"How come he gets five drumsticks and I get one?", Havoc complained.

"Sorry, Havoc, but that is it," said his father.

"Yeah. That's okay, Dad. I'm not hungry," said young Discord.

"Discord, eat," his father ordered.

"But I'm not hungry," protested Discord.

"I said eat!", his father yelled.

"But-"

"You say one more word and I will make you wish you were never born!", he shouted as he hit his youngest son on his head with a newspaper. "Now eat!"

Discord sighed as he reluctantly began to eat his drumsticks.

The older Discord narrated, "The next day, I endured more pain, which was what made me snap."

All the students were laughing and pointing at young Discord, calling him names, such as "freaky boy," "weirdo," and "freakazoid." The young draconequus ran away from school and into his home. "Eat!", his father ordered, making Discord immediately sit down. His mother began to rant to her husband, "You won't believe how many times Discord's been late!" His father said, "Well, he better not be late anymore or he shall get it!" As Discord's parents continued to argue, Havoc kept throwing things at him and calling him names. "Eat your dinner, Dipcord! Good-for-nothing!", he taunted. Young Discord went into this shocked zone as he kept getting pelted. "Freakazoid weirdo! Idiot! Moron!", his older brother continued to jab at him. The sounds and memories of the students laughing at him, his parents arguing, and Havoc pelting him repeatedly began to pound in Discord's head. He had grown tired of being constantly harassed and belittled. With every marshmallow pelt, Discord only grew increasingly angry. Finally, he shook with boiling anger and let out a giant roar. Shocked, his parents and Havoc stopped abruptly. Without thinking, young Discord immediately grabbed a pie and shoved it in Havoc's face, kicked his father's chair over, and splashed soup onto his mother. "Discord! What's gotten into you?! Go to your room!", his mother ordered him. "Fine!", Discord snapped back. "No back talk!", his mother retorted. In a fit of rage, young Discord hopped off his chair and stormed to his room. "I hate my stinkin' life! I hate you, I hate school, I HATE THIS HOOOOOUSE!", he screamed the last part as he slammed his door shut, stunning his parents and Havoc.

_Present day..._

Discord is trying to hold back tears, his voice shaking with every word he said. "All I ever wanted was a friend. And somepony to talk to." He held his legs close together and started crying. The Cutie Mark Crusaders felt deep sympathy for Discord and went to comfort him. It was rather depressing to see the master of chaos broken down in tears.

"Aww. Don't cry, Discord. You have us," said Scootaloo.

"And everypony else, too," said Sweetie Belle.

Discord began to calm down. He slowly began to smile. "You are right. And I would not trade you for anything." Discord and the Crusaders smiled at each other.

Suddenly, Discord remembered something. "Wait! Who is rowing the boat?!"

Shocked, the Crusaders turned to see the boat about to go over a waterfall. The gang began to freak out as they screamed. "Help!", shouted the Crusaders. Just then, Discord had an idea. "I know! I will teleport us out of here!", he proclaimed.

Discord teleported himself, the Crusaders, and the boat to the shore. Just then, an older draconequus showed up and shouted with joy, "Thank goodness you're okay! I was worried!" Discord is taken aback by the draconequus' presence. He quickly examined him, noticing his blue eyes, horns, tiger paw, grizzly bear paw, purple pegasus wing, blue bat wing, cow leg, frog leg, and lizard tail. He also had the white mane of a horse. Discord said in a shocked tone, "Havoc? Is that you?"

The draconequus revealed himself and said, "It sure is! Hi, little brother!" He then hugged Discord. Discord did not hug back, confused by Havoc's personality change. How was this past childhood bully of a brother being so nice all of a sudden? But he figured Havoc simply grew up and became a better person within time, so Discord slowly hugged his brother back.

"Havoc, what are you doing here?", asked Discord.

"I was in the neighborhood when I came across you and these fillies about to go over a waterfall!", said Havoc. He sounded really worried.

"But we are safe now and that is the important part," said Discord.

"Yeah. Who are they?", asked Havoc.

"The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo," Discord formally introduced them.

"Hi," said Havoc. "Hi, Havoc!", said the Crusaders happily.

"So you're Discord's brother?", asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yep!", said Havoc. "Had lots of times together back in our day! He was such a little knucklehead! Ha ha ha!" He then put Discord in a headlock and gave him a noogie. Discord pulled out of Havoc's grasp.

"So how are Father and Mother?", asked Discord.

"They're gone," Havoc said sadly.

Shocked, Discord's eyes began to tear up. "As in...?" Havoc nodded his head, confirming their parents' fate. Discord started sobbing as he hugged Havoc, crying on his shoulder. Discord was now missing his parents terribly as he felt he never got to make amends with them. Havoc patted his younger brother's shoulder. The Cutie Mark Crusaders are feeling bad for Discord, seeing him mourn his parents and his brother comforting him.

"Oh, my. We're sorry about your parents," said Sweetie Belle, giving her condolences.

"What happened, Havoc?", Discord asked him. "Old age," replied Havoc.

Discord and Havoc then let go of each other. Havoc then asked, "So what did you wanna do today?"

"Well, we were just rowing our boat," said Discord.

Havoc brightened up as he then said, "Hey, Cutie Mark Crusaders! How 'bout this instead?" He then turned the water into ice and began to ice skate on it, quickly impressing the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Cool!", the Crusaders marveled in unison.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders ran over to Havoc to ice skate with him. Discord was shocked by this, his mouth agape. He was shocked to see his big brother hanging out with the Crusaders. Discord felt his brother was taking his place as the cool best friend.

"Isn't this better than rowing boats?", said Havoc. As Discord scowled at Havoc, Apple Bloom said, "Definitely!"

"I agree!", said Scootaloo.

Angered, Discord marched over to Havoc. He was NOT having any of Havoc's shenanigans.

"Now look, Havoc- whoa!" Discord slipped on the ice, but managed to keep his balance. "Havoc, stop trying to take over my place or you will be sorry!"

"Hey, Discord! Leave Havoc alone! He's just having fun with us!", Sweetie Belle scolded Discord.

"Yeah. What she said," Havoc told Discord. "So if you don't mind, can you leave us to ourselves?"

Irritated, Discord sighed and said, "Fine." He walked off in a huff.

Havoc turned his attention back to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and said, "What else you wanna do for fun?"

"We wanna go draconequus-back ridin'!", chirped Apple Bloom.

"Draconequus-back riding?!", said Havoc excitedly. Smiling, Apple Bloom nodded her head.

"Oh, yeah! Ha ha ha! To the skies!", Havoc joyously announced, allowing the Cutie Mark Crusaders to climb onto his back.

"This is gonna be a very bumpy ride!", said Havoc.

"All right! Let's rock and roll!", said Scootaloo. Sweetie Belle chuckled and Scootaloo readied herself. Discord was standing there, watching everything in annoyance with crossed arms. Havoc started running, then performed a cartwheel and spun. Then he spread his wings and, with a flap of his wings, took flight.

"Amazing!", said Scootaloo.

"Not as amazing as this!", Havoc replied as he performed a figure 8 loop, impressing the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Wow!", marveled the Crusaders.

"A figure 8 loop! Discord could never do that!", said Scootaloo.

Irritated, Discord snorted. "Show-off." Discord was so annoyed with Havoc mingling with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Wanna see more tricks?", Havoc asked the Crusaders. They glanced at each other and then smiled. "Yeah!", they all said.

Havoc smiled and said, "Okay! Here we goooooooooo!"

Havoc loop-de-looped wildly, then zoomed upward at a very quick pace. Discord was flying by and he spoke to himself. "Havoc is up to something. I can feel it."

Suddenly, a blaze of color blasted by him, making him spin around. Discord stopped spinning, stars spinning around his head.

"What in the world?!", he exclaimed. Discord looked over, seeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Havoc. "Hi, Discord!", said the Crusaders.

"Oh. Maybe I should follow them," Discord said to himself. "On one hand, they could accuse me of spying. On the other hand, this is Havoc."

Discord followed them and hid behind a cloud. Havoc performed an upward spiral and said, "Aw, yeah!" The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered. Scootaloo began to slowly slip off and then fell, screaming.

"Scootaloo!", shouted Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom.

"Oh, man! I'm comin', Scootaloo!", exclaimed Havoc.

Immediately, Havoc dives down to save Scootaloo.

"Scootaloo!", Discord cried out. Havoc dove down fast, getting close to the ground. Discord dove down to save Scootaloo, who looked down and screamed. Discord was getting close to Scootaloo, but before he could grab her and before Scootaloo could hit the ground, Havoc swooped under her and caught her. Frightened by her situation, Scootaloo started hyperventilating.

"Scootaloo! Are you okay?!", asked Havoc worriedly.

"That... was... awesome!", Scootaloo loudly proclaimed, quickly recovering from the shock.

Discord sighed with relief. He was glad that his friend was all right. Havoc flew near the cloud and found Discord.

"Discord? Is that you?", Havoc asked.

Discord grimaced and came out from behind the cloud. "Hello."

"Hi, Discord!", the Crusaders greeted happily.

Discord waved at them and said, "Hello, girls."

Raising an eyebrow, Havoc asked, "Were you spying on us?" The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked at Discord, who was getting sweaty.

"No! I was..." Discord noticed Rainbow Dash pushing some clouds. He flew over, grabbed her around her waist, and flew back.

"I was helping my dear friend Rainbow Dash clear the clouds for the Ponyville Annual Picnic!", Discord lied.

Rainbow Dash exclaimed, "Wait! You weren't-" Discord cuts her off by putting his hand on her mouth.

"Havoc, would you like to come to the Ponyville Annual Picnic tomorrow?", Apple Bloom asked Havoc sweetly.

Shocked, Discord widened his eyes. Havoc turned to Discord and, with every word he said, his sneer became wider. "I'd _love_ to!"

The Cutie Mark Crusaders cheered. Discord started to get nervous and sweaty, but tried his best not to show it.

"Good to hear, Havoc," Discord said, looking down nervously. He had a bad feeling about this, for fear of what his brother might do.


	4. A Chaotic Picnic

The next day, the gang have arrived at the Ponyville Annual Picnic. Discord had tagged along, mostly due to the Crusaders' persistence.

"Boy! It's just nice out here today, isn't it, Discord?", said Havoc.

Discord is pouting, crossing his arms. "If you say so," he grunted. He did not want to be at the picnic as he was feeling jealous of his brother hanging out with the Crusaders.

"Discord, don't worry! Everything will be fine!", said Scootaloo.

"I certainly hope so," replied Discord.

"It will be!", insisted Scootaloo.

"Hey, let's eat, shall we?", said Havoc.

"Yeah!", said Scootaloo.

Havoc snapped his fingers and magically, a picnic cloth appeared on the ground, along with cakes, sandwiches, and watermelons.

"Wow!", said Sweetie Belle.

"So cool!", said Scootaloo.

"Yeah. Hey, how 'bout we catch a hot dog while we're at it?", said Havoc.

"Yeah!", said the Crusaders.

Havoc approached a hot dog vendor and said, "Excuse me, man. 5 hot dogs please." The vendor brought out 5 hot dogs, which Havoc took.

"Okay," said Havoc as he gave one hot dog to Sweetie Belle. "One for you..." He gave another hot dog to Apple Bloom. "One for you..." He gave another one to Scootaloo. "You, and... how 'bout you, Discord? Hot dog?"

"No thank you. I am not hungry," Discord grouchily answered.

"Oh, okay," Havoc shrugged. "And guys, remember when I said we'd catch a hot dog?"

"Yeah. What about it?", asked Apple Bloom.

Havoc throws the hot dog in the air and says, "Catch!". The Cutie Mark Crusaders laughed as Apple Bloom immediately jumped up and caught the hot dog. "Got it!", she said.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo laughed at this. "That was a good one, Havoc!", said Sweetie Belle. "Yeah! You're so much funnier than Discord!", said Scootaloo.

Upon hearing this, Discord widened his eyes in shock. "What?!", he exclaimed.

"So how 'bout our picnic?", asked Havoc. "Yeah!", said the Cutie Mark Crusaders. They all went to sit down at the picnic cloth.

Havoc turned toward Discord and said, "Discord? Wanna join us?"

"No. That is okay," Discord said, turning down the offer.

"We insist!", said Havoc.

"Yeah, Discord! Come be our friend!", insisted Sweetie Belle, patting a spot next to her on the cloth for Discord to sit on.

"Very well," said Discord as he reluctantly sat down with the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Havoc. They then began to eat.

"So Havoc, what've you been doing?", asked Scootaloo as she was eating some cake.

"I was just in town. I came to see my little bro," said Havoc, hugging Discord.

"Well, how sweet of you, Havoc," said Discord.

"Yeah. I'm just glad I'm reunited with my brother," said Havoc.

Nervous, Discord looked down and began to shift his eyes. "You know, I have to... go to the bathroom." Quickly, Discord got up and left.

"Tsk, ahh... so do I," said Havoc as he got up and left as well, leaving the Cutie Mark Crusaders by themselves. They waited until Discord and Havoc were out of sight to converse with each other.

"Boy! Havoc's such a nice guy, isn't he?", said Sweetie Belle, taking a bite of her hot dog.

"Yeah. He sure is," agreed Apple Bloom.

"Probably nicer than Discord. Wouldn't you guys say?", said Scootaloo.

"Perhaps," said Apple Bloom. Upon hearing this, Discord freezes and is shocked. Feeling extremely hurt and jealous, Discord scowls and walks away. The Cutie Mark Crusaders continue talking about Havoc and their desires to show him their talents.

"And I can't wait to show Havoc what we can do!", said Sweetie Belle.

"I wanna show Havoc my piano playing!", said Scootaloo.

"And how I can sing!", said Sweetie Belle.

"And my dancing!", said Scootaloo.

"And my cooking!", said Sweetie Belle.

"And my-", Apple Bloom began.

Suddenly, there is a thunderclap, making the Cutie Mark Crusaders freeze in shock. It begins to rain and do lightning, sending everypony in a panic. By now, the Crusaders started to have a strong, intense feeling that Discord was responsible for this mess.

"Oh, my word! It's raining cats and dogs!", said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah! Tell me about it!", agreed Scootaloo.

"No, seriously! Look!", said Sweetie Belle. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo widened their eyes in shock when they see dogs and cats actually falling from the sky. The Crusaders were now pretty sure this was Discord's doing because they know how much Discord had been jealous of Havoc.

"We must save them!", said Sweetie Belle.

"Right behind ya!", said Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders rushed to catch the dogs and cats, but were unable to as they fell on top of them. Suddenly, Discord arrived and used his magic to stop the chaos. Everything returned back to normal and it was now night.

"Are you okay?", Discord asked, concerned.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders blow up at Discord as Sweetie Belle hollers, "No! What does it look like?!"

"How could you do this to us?!", hollered Apple Bloom.

"Yeah! We trusted you!", said Scootaloo.

"I did not do this!", said Discord.

"It had to have been you! After all, you're the master of chaos!", said Sweetie Belle.

"That is _ex_-master of chaos," Discord corrected.

"We don't care!", said Sweetie Belle.

Just then, Havoc arrived and said, "What happened?"

"Discord used his chaotic magic to ruin our picnic!", Sweetie Belle told him.

"It was raining and there was lightning and thunder!", said Scootaloo.

"And it rained cats and dogs! Literally!", added Apple Bloom.

Havoc appears shocked as he gasps and says, "I am wounded! Discord, why?!"

"I did not!", Discord insisted. "I was in the bathroom and then I heard this-"

"No excuses!", Havoc harshly interrupted. "Look, I understand you're upset 'cause you didn't wanna come! But you didn't have to pull a stunt like this!"

"Havoc, I swear, I did not-"

Sweetie Belle interrupted Discord and said, "Discord, just don't say anymore! You're a liar, we thought we could trust you! But it turns out you're still bad!"

"And you'll always be bad!", said Apple Bloom.

"Hmph!", said the Cutie Mark Crusaders, turning their noses up at Discord.

"Come on, let's go!", said Havoc as he and the Crusaders walked away, leaving Discord sad. He now just lost his friends over a chaotic situation he did not commit. Worst of all for Discord, the Crusaders were now more than certain to hang out with Havoc instead. Today was not a very fun day for Discord like it seemed at first after all.

Discord sadly walked over to Fluttershy's house. By now, it was starting to get late. Discord let himself into the house.

"Oh, hi, Discord," Fluttershy warmly greeted. "How'd your day with the kids go?"

Discord let out a sigh and said, "Good at first, afterwards, not good."

"What happened?", asked Fluttershy.

"I thought for sure they were gonna warm up to me, but in the end, some chaos happened during our picnic and they blamed me for it," said Discord. "Even my own brother did not believe me when I tried to tell them I did not do it."

"What kind of chaos was this?", asked Fluttershy.

"Thunder, lightning, and literally raining dogs and cats," said Discord. "I think Havoc may be onto something." He stroked his goatee, getting a strange feeling about Havoc.

Fluttershy did not believe Havoc was at fault. She said, "Oh, I think he was just trying to make it up to you. I don't think he'd cause that much chaos worse than you used to."

"Well, I do not know," said Discord.

"Discord, maybe you should just stop acting like that," said Fluttershy.

Furious, Discord closes his eyes. Fluttershy would never understand. Everypony pins it on Discord, the creature of chaos. How original.

Discord lets out a frustrated sigh and says, "You know what?! Forget it! I do not need you, the children, or anypony!"

Immediately, Discord turns around and leaves Fluttershy's house. Fluttershy stood there as she watched Discord disappear out of her sight.

That same night, Discord arrives at the clubhouse as the moon shone down on him, further implying the prime example of an alone draconequus. Discord could hear the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Havoc inside talking. From inside, the Cutie Mark Crusaders began to laugh.

"That was a good joke, Havoc!", giggled Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah! Totally!", agreed Scootaloo.

"You're much funnier than Discord!", said Apple Bloom.

"You tell more jokes than him!", said Scootaloo.

During this, Discord is grinding his teeth in anger. The excessive praise of Havoc was really working on his nerves.

"Show us how you can tie your limbs into a knot!", said Sweetie Belle.

"More jokes!", said Scootaloo.

"Show us some more dance moves!", said Apple Bloom.

That was the last straw. Discord had had it with the Crusaders flocking over Havoc. The very nerve of them to favor Havoc more and hold him superior! Discord blews his stack and broke into the clubhouse.

"ENOUGH!", hollered Discord. Startled, the Crusaders and Havoc look at Discord.

"Man. What's your deal?", said Scootaloo.

"My deal is that I have had enough of you three hanging out with this so-called "brother" of mine!", exclaimed Discord.

This made Havoc widen his eyes in shock. The Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped at what Discord said. "Discord!", they scolded.

Havoc was now a little angry. "Hmm... I think we should have a little talk." He then turned to the Crusaders and said, "Girls, could you excuse us a moment?"

"Sure, Havoc," said Sweetie Belle.

"Okey-dokey," said Havoc. With that, Discord and Havoc exit the clubhouse, leaving the Cutie Mark Crusaders to talk among themselves. They walk a far distance away from the clubhouse out of earshot.

"What did you want to talk to me about?", Discord asked his brother.

"Look, Discord. I didn't want it to come to this, but you leave me no choice," replied Havoc.

Discord was confused. "What are you talking about?"


	5. The Real Culprit

Havoc snaps his fingers, summoning a chest filled with the Elements of Harmony.

"Hey! Those are the Elements of Harmony!", exclaimed Discord. "What are they doing here?!"

"Well, you see," Havoc explained, "I finally got my hands on them shortly after I came and I decided to hide them here by making them invisible. That way, nopony would ever know they were here."

Discord froze, horrified that his brother would do such a thing. "So you mean you stole them?!", asked Discord.

"Correct!", said Havoc. He then snaps his fingers, making the thunder, lightning, and raining dogs and cats from before reappear. Discord is beyond shocked. The culprit behind the chaotic picnic ruin was his very own FLESH AND BLOOD!

"Wait! YOU caused the chaos at the picnic!", said Discord, completely stunned. Discord already knew that he himself was not responsible for the chaotic picnic, but he had absolutely no idea that his brother would have the audacity to commit such crimes, especially to little fillies.

Smirking evilly, Havoc then breaks into song.

"You've... been... tricked, you've been tricked / I'm enjoying the conflict / Shouldn't have trusted me / Now a fool is what you'd be / What a fool, I pity you / You were a fool, which was my cue / To start trouble on the double / And now, I have burst your bubble / You've been tricked, you've been tricked / You should've probably been kicked"

Havoc kicks Discord in the shins, making him exclaim, "Ow!".

Havoc continues to sing, "When you should've known better than to trust me / And yet, you kept believing / While I was scheming / You've been tricked / You've been tricked / Have a good night"

Havoc laughs evilly as he snaps his fingers and re-summons the previous chaotic weather. Back at the clubhouse, the Cutie Mark Crusaders notice this, but are still convinced that it is Discord's doing. "Man, Discord's really getting our goat," muttered Scootaloo.

"You've been hoodwinked, baby!", Havoc sadistically declared to Discord. He then snaps his fingers and summons 5 clones of himself. Havoc and the clones prepare to use the Elements of Harmony to turn Discord back to stone.

"Oh, no," said Discord.

"And the REAL reason I came to Ponyville was to not only take your place as the cool and only draconequus, but to also get rid of you!", said Havoc with a slasher smile.

"Why did you not tell me?!", asked Discord angrily.

"Well, for one thing, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were there," Havoc replied. "And did you think I played with them because I LIKED them?!"

As Havoc and the clones prepare to turn Discord to stone, he closes his eyes and prepares himself for his incoming fate. Just before Havoc can attack Discord, a familiar voice suddenly called out.

"Stop right there, ya knucklehead!", the voice shouted.

"What?!", both Discord and Havoc exclaimed. They turned around to see Twilight, the Mane 6, and Spike.

"Stay away from our best friend!", said Twilight.

"Twilight!", Discord shouted in pure joy.

"Havoc, I'm very disappointed in you! I should've known this was you all along!", Fluttershy scolded Havoc. "I'm sorry, Discord!"

"That is okay, Fluttershy!", said Discord and began to blush. Havoc notices this and begins to tease him.

"Oh, is she your girlfriend? You "wove" her?", Havoc asked, mockingly batting his eyelashes.

"I do not! She is just a friend!", retorted Discord.

"Oh, sure," said Havoc incredulously.

Just then, Scootaloo's voice is heard. "What's going on?! Is everything okay?!"

Everypony turned to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders arriving. Trying to act innocent, Havoc said, "Oh! Hey, girls! Yeah, everything's fine!"

"Do not lie to them, Havoc! Everything is NOT fine!", said Discord.

"Discord! Please don't fight with your brother!", said Apple Bloom.

"He is no longer my brother!", exclaimed Discord, disowning Havoc.

"Stop it, please!", said Apple Bloom, getting stressed over Discord's jealousy.

"Discord, don't make me use the Elements of Harmony against you!", shouted Havoc, towering over Discord with an evil glare as he cues thunder and lightning in the background.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders gasped in horror. They could not believe what they were seeing – Havoc threatening his own little brother!

Havoc turned to the Cutie Mark Crusaders and chuckled nervously, realizing his mistake too late. "Sorry. I meant that in a nice, playful way."

But Havoc could not continue his facade. Shocked to realize that Havoc is the real mastermind behind the conflicts, the Cutie Mark Crusaders growl at Havoc. Then they charge at Havoc and knock him down.

"Oof!", Havoc grunted in pain.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders begin to beat Havoc up. "Leave our friend alone!", shouted Apple Bloom. "Hi-ya! Hi-ya, hi-ya, hi-ya!", shouted Sweetie Belle, punching away at Havoc.

Just then, Celestia and Luna arrived. "Hey! Has anypony seen our Elements of Harmony?", asked Luna. "We cannot find them anywhere!", said Celestia.

"He took them!", said Twilight, pointing at Havoc. However, Celestia and Luna looked at Discord and thought he stole the Elements. Both gasped and said, "Discord?!"

"No! Him!", said Twilight, pointing at Havoc again. This time, Celestia and Luna looked at Havoc, then gasped and said, "Havoc?!".

Nervous, Havoc shifted his eyes around. "Uh... no. You were right the first time. It's Discord. He stole them! Arrest him!"

"No. You mean arrest you!", said Discord.

"No, you!"

"You!"

"You!"

"You infinity!"

"Enough!", Celestia interrupted. "Havoc, hand them over or else!"

"Or else what?"

"Or else there will be consequences!"

"Never!"

"Then I will just give them back myself," said Discord.

"Oh, yeah? Well, you'll have to catch me first!", challenged Havoc. Discord gives Havoc an irritated look as Havoc quickly flies away. Surprised, Discord gasped and said, "Havoc!"

"Get him!", said Celestia.

Discord allows the Cutie Mark Crusaders to climb on his back and then takes off after Havoc. "We are coming, Elements!"

Havoc is flying a great distance away while holding the Elements of Harmony. Soon, he notices Discord flying up to him, Crusaders in tow. "Ah, shoot!", said Havoc, angered that they caught up to him. He speeds up his flying, only for Discord to boost his own speed.

"Hand over the Elements!", ordered Discord. "No!", refused Havoc.

In spite, Discord very easily snaps his fingers, making the Elements of Harmony disappear from Havoc's hands and into his own.

"What?!", exclaimed Havoc, surprised.

"Aha!", said Discord. Apple Bloom blew a raspberry at Havoc as Discord took his leave.

"Grr! Give me those!", shouted Havoc, flying after Discord.

"Just try us, Havoc!", challenged Discord. He knew Havoc would never be able to get his hands on the Elements. Discord was not going to let Havoc hurt him or his friends.

"Nyah nyah nyah-nyah nyah! Come and get us!", Apple Bloom taunted Havoc in a sing-song voice.

Discord reached his destination with the Elements of Harmony. Everypony begins to cheer for Discord's success.

"Way to go, Discord!", said Fluttershy.

"I know," said Discord, smiling at Fluttershy, who smiles back at him. Suddenly, Twilight interrupts, shouting, "Watch out!" while pointing to the sky.

"What?", asked Discord as he turned around, suddenly being knocked down by Havoc. "Holy Canterlot!"

Havoc growls at Discord. "Give 'em up, Dipcord!"

Discord hated being called that. Angered at the nickname, he growls lowly. "This is for you, Mom and Dad!", he proclaimed as he threw the Elements to the Mane 6.

"Get ready, girls!", said Twilight to her comrades. The Mane 6 prepare to use the Elements of Harmony on Havoc.

Havoc turns to Discord and growls in anger. "Oh, snap," said Discord. "You're dead, Discord!", shouted Havoc. He then charges at Discord, letting out a ferocious roar. Before he can attack Discord, he is turned to stone by the Mane 6's use of the Elements of Harmony. Everypony cheers and crowds around Discord.

"Discord! Discord! Discord!", they all chanted in unison.

Satisfied, Discord laughs. "I did it! I defeated Havoc!"

"Actually, the girls and I did. Since we used our elements against him," Twilight corrected.

"No, I defeated Havoc," said Discord.

"No, we defeated Havoc!", said Twilight, starting to get annoyed.

"I did!", said Discord.

"We did!"

"Me!"

"Us!"

"Enough!", shouted Celestia, fed up with the constant arguing. Twilight and Discord turn to look at Celestia. She explained, "The important thing is you all defeated Havoc and worked together."

Letting Celestia's words sink into their minds, Twilight and Discord look at each other and smile.

"You know, you are right," said Discord.

"Yeah. We defeated Havoc... together," said Twilight, smiling at Discord.

"Thanks, Discord! You're not such a bad guy after all!", said Sweetie Belle. She and her fellow Crusaders were extremely grateful toward Discord for helping them save the day.

"My pleasure, Sweetie Belle. I am so glad I have more friends!", proclaimed Discord.

"You're awesome, Discord!", the Cutie Mark Crusaders exclaimed in unison.

"Good job, you guys," congratulated Twilight, pleased to see that Discord and the Cutie Mark Crusaders are now best friends.

"Here you are, Princess," said Discord as he returned the Elements to Celestia and Luna.

"Thank you, Discord," said Celestia. Discord smiled happily.

"Well, let's go home now, shall we?", said Twilight.

"Yes, ma'am," agreed Discord.

Everypony begins to depart for home. As they are leaving, Discord said, "But you know, I did defeat Havoc in a way because I threw the Elements to you..."

"Discord...", said Twilight, irritated that Discord was continuing the debate.

Discord continued, "...And I wanted to avenge my parents..."

"Discord...", Twilight said a little louder, more annoyed.

Now wearing a red jacket with a yellow D on the front, Discord said, "...And also because I am-"

"DISCOOOOORD!", Twilight screamed.

"Okay! Jeez! Pipe down!", said Discord.

Irritated, Twilight shakes her head. "Oy vey..."

Discord may be their friend, but everypony knew how bothersome he could be with his showmanship. Even so, they loved him for the good guy he truly is, as well as his natural status as the master of chaos.


End file.
